The Black Athena Debate PDF
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Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non WesternContributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke The Black Athena Debate Lecture for Week 08 This lecture was last updated on 23 September 2019 and13 August 2013 1 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non Western Contributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke Week 08: The Black Athena Debate The learning objectives for week 08 are: – To understand the main elements of the debate over the extent and nature of possible ancient Egyptian influences on ancient Greece – To see the basic types of information from archaeology, linguistics, history and mythology that fuel the debate – To be aware of the relationship between the Black Athena debate and an intellectual movement called “Afro-centrism – To be aware of how the history of ideas in Europe might have influenced the way we view ancient Egypt today 2 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non Western Contributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke Week 08: The Black Athena Debate Terms you should know for week 08: – Aryan model – Revised ancient model – Philo (original meaning) – Thera-Akrotiri – Rome (ancient meaning) 3 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non Western Contributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke Week 08: The Black Athena Debate Sources: Bernal, Martin. 1987. Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization. Vol. 1: The Fabrication of Ancient Greece 1785–1985. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. The book that started the recent debate over Egyptian influences on Greek science and mathematics. Vol. 1 is mainly an intellectual history of Europe and North America during the years specified in the title, emphasizing how racism and anti- Semitism led to changing views of Greek civilization. Vol. 2. 1991. The Archaeological and Documentary Evidence. Mostly archaeological data on recent discoveries suggesting Egyptian influences and possibly even conquest of parts of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages. These data form much of the controversy shown in the video in class. Vol. 3. 2006. The Linguistic Evidence. Bernal claims show that many of the non-Indoeuropean words in Greek can be explained from the ancient Egyptian or Canaanite languages. (Hebrew is a dialect of Canaanite.) 4 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non Western Contributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke Week 08: The Black Athena Debate Sources: (continued) Lefkowitz, Mary. 1996. Not Out of Africa: How Afrocentrism Became an Excuse to Teach Myth as History. New York: Basic Books. A strong attack on Afrocentrism that treats Bernal’s Black Athena hypothesis as a version of Afrocentrism. Moore, David Chioni, ed. 2001. Black Athena Writes Back: Martin Bernal Responds to His Critics. Durham and London: Duke University Press. Pages 2–11 give a summary of the Black Athena argument. See pages 373–95 for a direct response to Mary Lefkowitz’s book (above). Many of the other essays are highly technical. Readings on Afrocentrism: Diop, Cheikh Anta. 1974 [orig. 1967]. The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality? Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books. Translated by Mercer Cook. The book by a Senegalese scientist that launched the modern Afrocentric movement. Asante, Molefi Kete. 1987. The Afrocentric Idea. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. A view of Afrocentrism that goes beyond Diop’s original ideas. 5 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non WesternContributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke 2013 Update Week 08: The Black Athena Debate Sources: (continued) The California Newsreel 47 minute video about the Black Athena debate has now been posted on youtube. The video dates to 1991 but most of the issues it covers are still relevant. To view it, click HERE. This slide was added 17 March 6 2013 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non WesternContributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke 2013 Update Week 08: The Black Athena Debate Sources: (continued) The video allows you to see the famous Akrotiri paintings that are described later in this lecture at slide 51. For the video click HERE. This slide was added 17 March 7 2013 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non WesternContributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke The Black Athena Debate 1. Our examination of ancient Egypt from last week suggests many Egyptian contributions to the modern world 2. Europeans accepted this notion for many centuries 9/23/2019 8 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non WesternContributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke The Black Athena Debate 3. In fact, some people had a near fixation on ancient Egypt – perhaps including the members of the Masonic Order – the “Masons” 4. In the 19th Century ideas about Egypt underwent a radical transformation 9/23/2019 9 Montclair State University Department of Anthropology Anth 140: Non WesternContributions to the Western World Dr. Richard W. Franke The Black Athena Debate 5. Egypt became much less admired 6. Greece became the “childhood” of Europe 9/23/2019 10
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